# Csonka Pro Air Care Purifier review



## moki (Jan 12, 2004)

Like many cigar lovers, I've gotten glaring looks for smoking cigars in my house and office. I've been seeking for solutions to this, because I live in the incredibly cold north, so smoking outside is painful enough that it just isn't worth it. I also happen to like smoking a cigar while I'm working on the computer, and I value not being lynching by my significant other or coworkers.

I ended up picking up a product called the "Csonka Pro Air Care Purifier" from http://www.csonka.com/ It claims to be able to handle over 3,000 square feet, so it fit the bill nicely for both my home and my office.

The product itself looks nice; for a while, I couldn't tell if it was made out of wood or not, even though it is actually some kind of plastic. Strangely, despite this being an attractive unit, someone decided that putting the words "AIR CLEANER" in bold green type on the face of the unit was a good idea. For the love of god, why?

Packaging for the unit was a bit haphazard as well. Not that it matters much, but for a $370 unit, something a bit nicer than the plastic tube and foam it came in might be in order. More importantly is that the only instructions are on the back of a long insert that wraps around the tube packaging, and the instructions are not for the specific unit you buy. Rather, you have general instructions for all of their units, with "If you have the Pro unit, it does this" and "...except if you have the Super unit" and so on and so forth.










Granted, this thing isn't rocket science, but a nice little pamphlet that told you -- in specific terms for your model -- what the controls were, how to clean it/maintain it, etc. would be appropriate. Indeed, one of the units (the first one I opened) shipped without the filter in place, and I wasn't exactly sure where to put it. Yes, I figured it out, but some reassurance in the form of a diagram would be nice.

So the unit is an odd mix of a very attractive, solid unit with some very odd packaging, design, and instruction choices, despite the price. Enough about aesthetics and packaging, how does it perform?

The Csonka units are specifically designed to combat smoke odors, but also are claimed to be effective with pet odors, pollen, and other smells/irritants. Plugging it in turns the unit on, and starts the ionizer up (which attracts particles that are floating in the air), and powers the quiet fan up. A separate dial allows you to control how much ozone is released.

The smell is quite pleasant -- instead of covering up odors with a scent (which adds yet more things to the air you breath), it sucks the particles out of the air, trapping them in a washable filter. The scent after you've let it run for a while is noticeably similar to the smell of the air on a fresh spring day. It's hard to describe, but you'll know it when you smell it. Very pleasant, and it *feels* nice on your lungs too.

Already I was happy I purchased the unit. While it won't get out smells after they have embedded themselves in your carpet/clothing, it definitely makes the air in your house smell and feel much better. Cigar smoke aside, this is a nice addition to any space you occupy.

The real test came when I smoked an Untold Story Maduro in my home office. I cracked the window slightly, shut the door, and kicked the unit into high gear. The stick lasted a good long hour and a half, and produced boatloads of smoke. Even while smoking it, the air smelled cleaner than it normally would have.

A few hours later, things were smelling quite nice to me -- but it's hard to tell for sure, once you are used to a smell. Was it really working wonders? Ut oh, is that a car I hear pulling up? My girlfriend came home early, the unit only had a few hours to do its magic. This could be trouble! She didn't say anything to me, so I asked her if she smelled anything... to which she replied "Why, did you smoke a cigar?" Hah! She didn't know! That's pretty impressive.

She later said that when she opened the door to come in, she could sort of smell the cigar, but it was muted enough that it wasn't too bad. She estimated that it was about 70-80% less smell. I wonder, if it had been going for a good 5 hours or so, I bet the scent would be barely noticeable. Excellent!

As for maintenance, it's supposed to be very easy. You simply clean the ionizer off with alcohol and wash out the filter once a year or so. I don't know where the ozone comes from, but apparently it isn't anything you need to replace. Operation is quite quiet, and the unit uses very little electricity, so you can safely just leave it on.

All in all, I'm quite happy with this unit, and would recommend it. Hopefully Csonka will do something about their packaging, documentation, and that nasty green lettering. ::shudder::

Link to the unit reviewed:

http://www.csonka.com/beta/popup_consumer_smokercloaker-pro.html


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## sirwood (Aug 26, 2003)

I got the same unit - bought at www.holts.com for $264. I have only used it once to control cigar smoke, the rest to address musty basement smells. So far, I am satisfied - with a few reservations.

I was a little concerned with Csonka's website & the lack of scientific data. While they had a narrative description, they had no performance data/numbers. However, they have a money-back guarantee, and I did a little research - so I bought one.

Basically, I view this unit as an ozone generator. Ozone can eliminate contaminants by reacting to produce only oxygen, carbon dioxide and water. Ozone has an odor like the 'fresh' smell after a rain. I don't believe this unit's ionizer will significantly contribute to cleaner air. In addition, I feel the unit's filter may only protect the internal fan - I doubt it can collect enough particulates to be effective. Whether this unit 'masks' or eliminates odors, it appears to be effective for my application.

Ozone can be a toxic gas at elevated concentrations. The EPA website has a lot of good information on ozone and ozone generators: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html

I work in the health & safety field, so I am sensitive to this data. I would offer the following takeaways.
- ozone can be hazardous in concentrations over 0.10 ppm (a very low amount)
- the data is mixed on whether ozone at safe levels can controls odors 
- byproducts from ozone use can be hazardous

Ozone has a very low odor threshold, meaning you should be able to smell it before it reaches hazardous levels. I plan to use my unit is a very small space (wine cellar) with an exhaust fan. I plan to run the fan & ozone unit (on low) while I smoke, then leave the ozone unit running when I leave the room. I will try & balance the ozone levels by smell&#8230;cigar odor versus ozone odor&#8230; not very exact.

I also have an electrostatic filter in my upstairs. It produces ozone as a byproduct, not as a means to control odors. Honeywell also has some good info on ozone: http://content.honeywell.com/yourhome/eiac-air_cleaners/f300faq.htm#6

As the EPA & Honeywell states, odors can generally be controlled by:
- source control (don't smoke &#8230;.)
- ventilation
- filtration

Good smoking!


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